Monthly Archives: September 2013

In many situations, a project manager is faced with different options that, if not well analyzed, could prolong a project’s duration and increase cost. OnePager gives you a way to visualize the different options side-by-side and make a well-informed decision.

You can do this by modeling different project scenarios in MS Project, and then importing each scenario into a separate swimlane within a single OnePager Pro view.

To take a simple example, suppose we want to schedule a drilling rig to drill at three different sites for specified durations. The three destination sites are different distances from the home base where it must return for maintenance after the three drilling operations are completed.

Option 1: Visit Site A -> Site B -> Site C -> Home Base:

Option 2: Visit Site C -> Site A -> Site B -> Home Base:

Option 3: Visit Site A -> Site C -> Site B -> Home Base:

The next step is to import the three different scenarios from Microsoft Project into OnePager Pro. This is done by creating a new OnePager Pro project view from Option 1, updating it to add a second swimlane for Option 2, and then doing a second update to add Option 3 in its own swimlane.

Although this is a simple example, it does show that using OnePager Pro’s multiple project import feature is a good way to show different project options and portray various scheduling “What If” scenarios.

This article should be read as a continuation of the previous two posts in our series about the importance of data visualization in business communication – a broad area encompassing our concept of Gantt Art. Our last two posts covered important theoretical concepts in Speaking PowerPoint, by Bruce R. Gabrielle.

In part three of this series, we’ll cover some best practices in presentation design. We’ll also get into what we consider the most exciting and challenging area, which is information design. Continue reading →

This article should be read as a continuation of the previous post in our series about the importance of data visualization in business communication – a broad area encompassing our concept of Gantt Art. Our last post absorbed what we considered to be the main and most valuable points of the first half of the 2010 guide: Speaking PowerPoint, by Bruce R. Gabrielle, along with our own thoughts or additional references where appropriate. We will complete this review in the next two posts.

In Part two of this series, we’ll explore the next sections of the book. The author has quite a bit more to provide by way of suggestions, ideas and examples relative to creating a great presentation overall. Continue reading →